Guess Who’s In Town?

Arsène Wenger, that’s who! I was understandably excited when I heard this and even more so when I found that he was on a Castrol Arsène Wenger Asia Tour 2009 and is in town for a coaching session with the Malaysian U-19 team. I quickly googled and found that his itinerary would be as follows (different from that provided here though):


1130 am Arsène Wenger arrival at Dataran Merdeka

1145 - 1200 1st ‘Meet-the-Fans’ session (with AFCSM members)

1200 - 1220 Media reception

1220 - 1225 MC Opening & AW's Grand Entrance to football pitch

1225 - 1310 AW Coaching session with National Youth Team

- Castrol Performance Challenge (SAQ test)
- Castrol 5’s game

1310 - 1320 Group Photo with National Youth Team

1320 - 1335 2nd ‘Meet-the-Fans’ session (with public)

1335 - 1700 Press Conference

AFCSM members will get a special chance to meet the man

We will be given 15 minutes for group photography session

Please wear any Arsenal Jersey preferably Red (Home)


I don’t have any Arsenal merchandise with me in the office so I quickly printed a colour photo of The Professor, nicked a mate’s marker pen and set off for the Merdeka Square after 1 pm yesterday.

There were already hundreds of fellow Gooners at Merdeka Square waiting patiently. We waited. And waited. And waited. I stood then I found a spot to sit on in what little shade there was. Then I joined the crowd and hurried over to the other side. We waited. And waited. Suddenly the crowd went wild – turned out there was a lost Devil amongst us and he was mercilessly booed. We continued waiting. (I spotted a Liverpool supporter too but we left him to his devices).

Suddenly a chap behind me, spotting my printed photo of AW, asked if I supported Arsenal (no, you idiot, I just thought it’d be a good idea to visit Merdeka Square in the midday heat and hey since I was there why not wait and see what the fuss was all about and get a tan in the process). I said yes and he asked why I didn’t join his club, ManUre (no, he wasn’t the one who got booed). He went on to give his unsolicited advice that Arsenal haven’t won for a few years already and would never win again. If looks could kill, the sideway glare I gave him would have done the damage. I almost hissed back, ‘I’d rather lose with Arsenal than win with MU’. What a bugger. That just about confirmed what idiots ManUre supporters are. And what was he doing there in the first place? To act as a scout to lure people to support his club?

At close to 2, I sent a text to my friend: He’s either performing prayers or have fainted from the heat (I know I’m close to that!). He still hasn’t appeared!! 2 pm already :-(

I finally left, gutted. I probably lost half of my weight in perspiration – I swear it must be 40C out there - and yet didn’t meet The Professor. ;(

~~~~~~~~

Yesterday morning, in the midst of work, I was suddenly struck by the same crazy idea I had two years ago: of going for a short trip to check out the sale in Singers. So I did what I always do, my version of ‘cost-benefit analysis’ looking at the various factors:

- Flight costs: the low-cost carrier and the national carrier will cost me RM140 and RM216 respectively. But I so so so hate the trip to/fro LCCT
- Logistics arrangement: I could potentially make a day-trip by both carriers but MAS would cost a lot more for a day-trip and I’d be better off spending a night in Singers if I fly MAS - but that would cost more in terms of accommodation. I could potentially take the last MAS flight out and bunk at the airport (meaning I have to bring a change of clothes and toiletries) then hit the shops the next day and return in the evening. (Someone suggested taking the train but that would take me 10++ hours, as bad as flying to Europe! And coach would cost as much as flying the low-cost carrier but take more than double the time)
- Exchange rate: SGD1 = MYR2.42. Yikes!

Then I thought the savings I may make from the bargains there would probably offset the airfare anyway. Besides, it’s not as if I like Singers or the idea of stimulating their economy. But of course, there’s more choice for shoppers there.

Decisions, decisions.

What do you reckon? Advices and views are welcome.

~~~~~~~~

I had to cab it to work this morning as I missed the bus. The cabbie took a different turning and I said, ‘Well, it’s OK since you’ve already turned here.’ I was distracted with my fare and almost gasped telling him to stop when he almost passed the building. And do you know what he said to me? He actually said I was not ‘civil’ because I didn’t tell him where to turn (you’re the bloody cabbie anyway) and he interpreted my quiet gasp as a demonstration of my anger at him. I was surprised when I heard this and said no, I wasn’t angry. But he went on insisting that I was angry at him and that I was not being ‘civil’. I repeated that I was not angry but he still stubbornly insisted that I was angry at him bla bla bla.

And that did it, that really blew my top. If I wasn’t angry before, I was already seething then. So I paid him, got out, practically shouted, ‘Oh I’m sorry then!’ and slammed the door hard. Eff off you bloody idiot and no thanks for spoiling my morning.

Boy, did I derive great satisfaction from that.

This reminded me of another incident on a wet early morning some weeks ago. It was raining cats and dogs and I was almost drenched to my skin. I spotted a stationary cab and went to it. Only to be told that I should not get his cab wet. I apologised but pointed out that it was pouring hard anyway and there wasn’t much I could do about it. He told me not to start a fight when all he said was for me not to get his precious cab wet. Start a fight? That was like a cue for me to start one already even if I wasn’t even thinking of it. I glared at him and said sorry again in the most sarcastic tone I could manage, got out of the car (but not before ensuring my umbrella left more wet puddles in his precious cab) and slammed the door hard.

~~~~~~~~

I was amazed to discover that a friend does not have any credit cards (and neither does her husband). In fact, she doesn’t even do Internet banking. I can’t even begin to imagine living without my plastic. I’m not one to carry lots of money in my purse and I can be quite an impulsive shopper (so impulsive I once owned two similar jacket blouses, duh!). In fact, any of my trips would be near to impossible to arrange had it not been for my plastic (room deposit, purchase of beat-the-queue entrance tickets and air and train fares come to mind).

A shopaholic without a credit card? Unthinkable. And I dare say, impossible.